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BBC pundit Alan Hutton has sent a warning to Celtic that their move for Cameron Carter-Vickers could be hijacked.

The Lowdown: Celtic in negotiations

The American first made the switch to the Scottish Premiership to join the Hoops on loan from Tottenham Hotspur last summer, where he’s enjoyed a hugely successful spell in Glasgow having made 46 appearances across all competitions under Ange Postecoglou.

As part of the move, the club does have an option to buy, with the Daily Record reporting just last week that the Bhoys are currently in the process of trying to negotiate a transfer fee with Spurs, with the newspaper suggesting that they have until June 15 to trigger the centre-back’s £6m purchase clause.

The Latest: Hutton sends Hoops warning

Hutton has warned the Scottish giants that a transfer rival could come and take him off their hands if they take too long trying to reach an agreement. He told Football Insider:

“I think this is why you should always have it sorted before.

“I believe if you’re taking a player on loan with aspirations of signing him after that loan, you should really get the figure in place before.

“I’ve seen it happen with millions of players. Tyrone Mings, when he came to Aston Villa, was outstanding. Then all of a sudden, the fee went up. That happens all the time and the club that you’re on loan from just takes advantage of the situation.

“It’s somewhere he’s been happy and enjoying his football. I think it’s a transfer that will happen as long as it doesn’t take weeks. If it goes on and on, somebody can just steal the march on you.

“If somebody is willing to go higher than Celtic, Spurs will accept that.”

The Verdict: Get it done

Realistically, there’s no chance that Carter-Vickers would get into the Tottenham starting XI if he returned to his parent club, so it makes complete sense for them to let him go.

The 24-year-old has been a rock at the heart of the Parkhead backline though, having averaged 4.2 clearances and 1.2 interceptions per league game, as well as winning 4.2 of his aerial duels each match, via WhoScored, showing the physical presence he depicts both on the ground and in the air.

When it comes to negotiations, the Parkhead outfit obviously won’t want to cough up more than they feel necessary, but if it means that they can secure the future of their star defender for years to come, it really may be a case of just biting the bullet.

In other news… a BBC pundit has been reacting to a worrying Celtic injury update.

Leeds United transfer target Jake Clarke-Salter has now been released by Chelsea, according to Sky Sports.

The Lowdown: Leeds enquiry

Clarke-Salter made just two senior appearances for the Blues but gained plenty of senior experience with loan spells at five separate clubs.

The 24-year-old spent last season in the Championship with Coventry City, where he appeared to catch the eye of Leeds officials after making 31 appearances for the Sky Blues.

Reports last month claimed that the Whites had made an enquiry regarding the centre-back’s availability, with a significant update emerging on the player’s future on Friday.

The Latest: Sky Sports update

Sky Sports shared some on-air news regarding a number of Chelsea players, as they learned ‘in the last few minutes’ that four Blues players have been released, including Clarke-Salter.

They added that Andreas Christensen, Danny Drinkwater and Charly Musonda have also been let go by the west London club.

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The Verdict: Leeds free to swoop

Victor Orta and co have seemingly been tracking the defender for some time following an enquiry last month, and they are now free to make the player their third summer signing after Brenden Aaronson and Rasmus Kristensen.

Whether the 24-year-old is needed at Elland Road is another question, though, with Jesse Marsch already having five options at centre-back.

Other central areas of the pitch in midfield and in attack could do with bolstering as well, but if the Whites still want Clarke-Salter following reports last month, now is the time to act.

In other news: Leeds forced to negotiate for ‘next Declan Rice’ as ‘silly’ contract dispute emerges. 

Celtic are reportedly closing in on securing a deal for Bayern Munich midfielder Christopher Scott ahead of the upcoming summer window.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Ghana Soccernet (via Scottish Sun), the Hoops are favourites to sign the 19-year-old and will secure the signing if they pay Bayern’s asking price of £250k.

After making 61 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen’s youth sides in which he scored 32 goals and provided two assists, the midfielder joined Bayern’s U19 side back in the 2020 January transfer window.

Since then, the teenager, who turns 20 tomorrow, has gone on to make 53 appearances for the youth teams, finding the net 12 times and delivering 15 assists in the process.

The youngster also has two senior appearances for the German giants under his belt.

On the international stage, the player has made appearances for Germany across their U15, U16, U17, U19 and U20 sides.

Celtic fans will be buzzing

The above shows the attacking and creative talent he has and why the Bhoys are reportedly close to signing him. However, it also underlines why supporters will be buzzing to see him sign.

According to Celtic Analytics on Twitter, Scott’s strengths are “offensive and on the ball as a strong passer and ball carrier,” as well as being a player who “generates a lot of threat from finishing and creativity.”

Thus, taking into account how Ange Postecoglou has shown that he is not against signing young players from abroad and giving them the chance to shine in his side such, notably Liel Abada, Scott could well be the next one in line to become a household name at Celtic.

With the likes of Nir Bitton, Tom Rogic and now Luca Connell waving goodbye to Parkhead, this could give the Bayern prospect an easier shot of making it into the first team at Celtic should he end up joining.

With all of this in mind, it’s safe to say that should the Hoops secure the German youth star’s signature in the coming days or weeks, it would definitely be an exciting signing for the club. He is capable of scoring goals and creating them for his teammates, something that makes him a real nuisance for defenders.

Given the talent he has at such a young age, the potential he has to grow into a senior star at Parkhead is a mouth-watering prospect for everyone connected to the club.

In other news: Ange can land his own Denayer as Celtic eye £7k-p/w gem who has “fire in his belly”

Members of the media are blown away by a ‘big’ transfer development out of Tottenham Hotspur as head coach Antonio Conte is handed his first big boost ahead of the 2022/2023 campaign.

The Lowdown: Conte eyes busy summer…

Club chief Fabio Paratici sat down for crunch talks with Conte last week in Italy with the pair drawing up a list of targets and discussing recruitment plans.

The Lilywhites, having secured a top-four Premier League finish and the riches of Champions League football for next season, are also playing with a £150 million equity increase which will be used to back Conte this summer.

Inter Milan star Alessandro Bastoni and Man City forward Gabriel Jesus are among the men on Tottenham’s radar with the north Londoners looking set to be busy (The Telegraph).

Another name they were linked with in Ivan Perisic has now been confirmed as Spurs announce his signing on a Bosman deal from Inter.

The Latest: Media blown away by Perisic news…

Members of the media, heaping praise on Spurs, have been left blown away by Perisic’s arrival at Hotspur Way – with some even branding it a ‘Chelsea-type signing’.

Pundit Jamie O’Hara also called the deal a ‘big move’ by chairman Daniel Levy and co.

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“Big move” – Jamie O’Hara (talkSPORT pundit and ex-Spurs midfielder)

“Amazing signing by Spurs. Perisic may be 33 but he is in the form of his career and was the best wing-back in Serie A last season. Physique, technique, crossing, goal threat, both footed and a beast in the air” – Carlo Garganese (Italian football broadcaster)

“I feel Perisic is a Chelsea-type signing. I mean that as a compliment, too. Age irrelevant. A winner. Won the lot. Will fit in straight away. The Conte factor” – Michael Bridge (Sky Sports reporter)

The Verdict: Right to be impressed…

Signing for zero transfer cost, this Perisic deal is certainly an impressive start to Conte’s first summer transfer window at the club.

The decorated Croatian footballing legend, amassing an imprssive 113 international caps, has also clinched major pieces of silverware at club level.

Winning two Bundesliga titles, one Serie A, a Champions League medal and many domestic trophies, Perisic has even been crowned Croatian Footballer of the Year (Transfermarkt).

Even though he possesses little sell-on value due to his age, the 33-year-old’s vast experience and versatility could be invaluable to Conte.

In other news: Tottenham will now attempt to seal eight-figure agreement for ‘incredible’ speedster, find out more here.

Steve Cooper has had an outstanding season with Nottingham Forest and could be set to take the club back to the Premier League for the first time in 23 years, but he could be set for his first disaster if he can’t secure promotion at Wembley this weekend.

What’s the latest?

According to The Evening Standard, West Ham United are plotting a move for Joe Worrall should Nottingham Forest fail to secure promotion to the top-flight on Sunday afternoon in the Championship play-off final against Huddersfield Town.

As per the report, David Moyes is desperate to bolster his defence this summer following a disastrous injury crisis in his back-line this season and wants to avoid the same occurrence in the next campaign.

Fulham and Leicester City are also named as two Premier League clubs that would be interested in signing the Forest star this summer, with West Ham reportedly believed to be able to offer him a better option with European football secured.

Cooper set for disaster

The prospect of losing out on Premier League football at the final hurdle will already be daunting enough for Nottingham Forest but to also lose a key player following the disappointing outcome would set Cooper up for disaster ahead of next season.

Worrall has been drawing positive attention to himself this season, with the defence being one of the highly praised areas of the Forest squad, conceding just 22 goals in total and more impressively only five goals in total in 2022.

Over 39 appearances in the Championship, the 25-year-old has won the majority of both his aerial and ground duels (63%), successful in the vast majority of his dribbles (79%), making 1.8 interceptions, 1.9 tackles and 3.1 clearances this season, proving that he has been a solid and consistent performer for the side.

The 6 foot 3 defender has been with the club for most of his career making 182 appearances over the last seven years after starting out in the U18s and breaking through to the senior team.

With that being said, it would be a huge blow for Forest to lose such an influential player especially if they are not able to complete their goal on getting promoted to the Premier League ahead of next season, and Cooper must carry out as much damage control as he can to keep the player no matter the outcome.

AND in other news: NFFC given green light to sign “outstanding” 29y/o livewire, he could replace Spence

Newcastle travel to face Burnley at Turf Moor in their final match of the 2021/22 Premier League campaign this afternoon.

The Magpies have enjoyed a stellar second half of the season, as they have gone from battling the Clarets to avoid relegation to now being safe and eyeing up a top-half finish.

Mike Jackson’s side head into the match just above the drop zone and need a win to secure survival, although they will achieve their target as long as they match Leeds’ result against Brentford.

Meanwhile, Newcastle have a top-ten finish to aim for as they sit two points off Brighton in 10th. This would be the icing on the cake for Eddie Howe’s first campaign in charge and set the standard heading into the summer.

Speaking of which, the upcoming transfer window may be a nervy one for fringe players at St James’ Park – and even some more regular starters – as PIF potentially invest more money into the squad.

Players will be wondering whether or not they have a future at the club, and one gem who could be in danger of being axed is Jacob Murphy.

The £35k-per-week dynamo has only started 13 matches this season and has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.68 in the Premier League. This shows that the overall standard of his displays has been underwhelming at best, and PIF will surely not want to have underperforming players wasting a place in the squad.

The 27-year-old has been unable to break into the team on a regular basis, and he may be a player that the club have in mind as someone they can upgrade upon in the coming months.

Howe must unleash Murphy

Murphy does have the potential to come good for Newcastle, though. Howe has previously hailed the winger, saying: “He’s a very good player. He’s physically excellent and I think you can see that from the first goal [against Brighton] he created and the pace he gives you on transitions.

“He’s reliable defensively and tactically very good. There’s a lot to like about him. I think there’s a lot to come as well – there is a lot more [talent] in there.”

The Toon head coach clearly believes that there is something to work with regarding Murphy, and that is why the 27-year-old must be unleashed against Burnley, having only appeared as a substitute in Newcastle’s last three matches.

It is his last-chance saloon to show the club that the £12m signing deserves to stay at St James’ Park and remain a part of the long-term project. He needs to produce a big performance against the Clarets and finally click in a Magpies shirt to put down a marker, given that he has struggled for minutes and form throughout the current campaign.

If he fails to do so, then it may be time for PIF to cut ties with him and replace him with another winger in the upcoming transfer window. It could a huge day at Turf Moor for the ex-Norwich man…

AND in other news, PIF eyeing NUFC swoop for “highly-rated” £30m phenomenon, he can be Howe’s “Benzema”…

Reliable journalist Alan Nixon has backed Nottingham Forest striker Keinan Davis to be the one to ‘make the difference’ in the club’s upcoming Championship play-off final against Huddersfield Town.

The Lowdown: Wembley preparations

Steve Cooper’s side booked their place at Wembley Stadium having defeated Sheffield United 3-2 in a scintillating penalty shootout at the City Ground on Tuesday night, and so will now start preparations for their all-important clash against the Terriers on May 29.

The 24-year-old wasn’t in the starting line-up for the game vs the Blades after returning from injury, but did come on as a substitute at the 75-minute mark to replace fellow forward Sam Surridge, and Nixon believes that Davis could prove to have a huge impact in the looming final.

The Latest: Nixon backs Davis to start

When responding to a fan question on his personal Twitter account asking if he thought Forest could go all the way and gain promotion, Nixon replied:

“Davis needs to start. Would make the difference. Johnson can then move wider. Spence can then go forward and link.”

The Verdict: Instant impact

Despite only making 15 league appearances in the second-tier this season, Davis has still managed to score five goals and provide two assists during that time, as per Transfermarkt, showing just how much of an influence he can have when on the pitch.

Forest defender Steve Cook previously dubbed his teammate an “unsung hero”, so it’s clear to see the admiration that the rest of the squad have for him.

This kind of strong team spirit is exactly what Nottingham are going to need if they want to secure promotion and get the victory over the line against a tough opponent in Huddersfield at the end of the month.

Everton had the opportunity to secure Premier League survival in their game at Goodison Park this evening and instead of taking their opportunity chaos ensued on Merseyside instead.

There is no doubt that Frank Lampard will be absolutely livid with his team after a disappointing and self-destructive performance that cost them crucial points in one of their final games of the season, and now they only have two chances to escape their first-ever relegation from the Premier League.

The first half got off to a promising start with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring his first goal for Everton since August 2021. It wasn’t the most glamorous goal the striker has scored as he chested it into the back of the net but he will claim it after a long-running goal drought.

Unfortunately, Everton were unable to hold onto their lead when the first mistake from the Toffees was made by Seamus Coleman who headed the ball into the back of the net in a mistimed attempted block that saw the captain head the ball into the back of the net to give Brentford their equaliser.

The hosts were handed a lifeline when Richarlison was taken down by Sorensen in the box and the foul led to a penalty that the Brazilian comfortably converted to put his team back in front ahead of halftime.

Everton at the halfway point were in a position to secure safety if they could just hold onto their lead for another 45 minutes. Despite going down to ten men after Jarrad Branthwaite was sent off in the 18th minute of the game the Toffees showed resilience against Thomas Frank’s side even a man down.

In the second half, the chaos continued but not in the home team’s favour as the side went into freefall with Brentford finding the back of the net twice and another player in blue was sent off the pitch with Salomon Rondon only lasting four minutes on the pitch after being substituted on for Coleman.

On the subject of the Irish defender, he completely let his manager down with a shocking performance that has made a direct impact on the team’s missed opportunity to win safety in the league, something you would not expect from a player who is captaining his side.

According to SofaScore, the defender only made a measly 13-passes during the contest. He wasn’t just lapse in possession of the ball, however.

The full-back lost 100% of his defensive duels and made no interceptions or tackles. He also made no attempts to dribble and no blocks over the course of his awful 84-minute performance before Lampard finally called Coleman back to the bench.

Luckily for the Everton manager, the fight against relegation is still in their hands after Leeds United took a draw and Burnley lost this afternoon meaning they still have a two-point cushion above the bottom three.

Lampard will be hoping they can complete their survival mission when they host Crystal Palace at Goodison Park on Thursday in their final home game of the season.

AND in other news: Huge boost: Lampard drops Everton transfer update that’ll delight supporters

Sport Italia TV journalist Rudy Galetti has now made a West Ham United transfer claim involving Man United forward Jesse Lingard as Premier League rivals Newcastle United and newly-promoted Fulham also eye a move.

The Lowdown: Hammers in Lingard chase…

Since enjoying a phenomenal 2020/2021 spell on loan at the London Stadium, it is no secret that David Moyes has held a real interest in bringing Lingard back on a permanent deal.

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Out of contract at the end of this season, it appears West Ham head of recruitment Rob Newman and GSB have their best chance yet to secure a move for the Three Lions ace.

Moyes has allegedly set his sights on the signing of a midfielder alongside possible central defensive and striking additions, according to The Times, with Galetti now sharing a Lingard update on Twitter.

The Latest: Galetti makes transfer claim…

According to the reporter, West Ham are still eyeing the 29-year-old for Moyes but face competition from Newcastle and even the newly-promoted Fulham.

He explained:

“Lingard, his priority is to stay in the EPL.

“West Ham and Newcastle have shown interest in him. Even the newly promoted Fulham are following the player closely: evolving situation.”

The Verdict: Get it done…

Singing the proven top flight attacker at zero initial transfer cost is a no-brainer given he is already proven under Moyes – scoring a fantastic nine goals and four assists over 16 top flight appearances during his 2021 temporary move.

Lingard knows the club, Moyes and members of the squad already with star man Declan Rice even revealing that he is ‘infectious’ and a ‘great person to be around’ (via The Football Faithful).

There is little risk his addition would bring disharmony to West Ham’s tight-knit dressing room, and taking into account his ability on top of that, it’s little wonder Paul Robinson has called Lingard’s return a potentially ‘massive signing’ for Moyes.

In other news: ‘Something special’ – Journalist says ‘massive player’ could be open to joining West Ham, find out more here.

Everton have reportedly now been boosted in their pursuit of Adama Traore in the summer, with Barcelona not planning to make his loan into a permanent deal.

The Lowdown: Traore targeted

It has been reported that Goodison Park faithful are now targeting a move for Traore this summer, once he returns to Wolves from his loan spell at FC Barcelona.

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However, they of course need to make sure that they stay up in the Premier League first of all to have any chance of a deal going through, with Frank Lampard and his men lurking two points behind both Leeds United and Burnley.

The Latest: Traore boost

As per Football Insider, a recruitment source has revealed that Barca ‘have not been convinced’ by Traore enough to sign him on a permanent deal, which is a ‘boost’ for the Merseyside club.

Kevin Thelwell is thought to be a ‘big admirer’ of the Spain international, and so it looks as if the door has now been opened for them to sign him instead.

The Verdict: Worth a go

Traore has not always convinced in the top flight, with just one goal in 20 games this season before his loan move in the January transfer window.

However, the 26-year-old just needs to find the right club to unearth his potential, given that he possesses speed unique to most players on the planet.

Described as the ‘Lewis Hamilton’ of football by Martin Keown, in comparison to the British Formula One driver, his 4.2 dribbles per match in the Premier League is only bettered by Newcastle United winger Allan Saint-Maximin, and if he can add more end product to his game, he could be a frightening weapon for Lampard.

In other news, find out what ‘massive’ Toffees claim has now been dropped here!